MPs vote in favour of gay marriage bill by majority of 225

Parliament votes heavily in favour of legalising gay marriage, but Prime
Minister David Cameron's authority in his own party took a blow as his
Conservatives split in two over the measure he had championed.

7:15PM GMT 05 Feb 2013

In the first of several votes required for its passage, the lower house of parliament backed the legislation by 400-175, but many Conservative MPs voted against or abstained, signalling deep unease with it and his leadership.

During a debate that lasted more than six hours, many Conservative MPs denounced the legislation, saying it was morally wrong, not a public priority, and unnecessarily divisive, threatening a corrosive legacy of bitterness.

Conservative lawmaker Gerald Howarth told parliament that the government had no mandate to push through a "massive social and cultural change".